Diacritical (Re)Marks
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: One-shot series of stories revolving around diacritical marks. Annie/Auggie romance, humor, canon. Enjoy! NOW COMPLETE
1. Accent

**Hello! A bit of explanation before you dive in, if you will. I love words, yeah, but I also love everything that goes with it, including punctuation and diacritics. Wanted to do a one-shot series for a while and brainstormed for what it'd entail, chapter by chapter. And here we go! I just hope FF accepts all of these marks, as some of them are not widely used. With that, enjoy Chapter One: Accent.**

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**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter One: Accent**

"Hey, Annie, got a second?" Auggie asked. He stood at the door of Tech Ops and knew by the familiar tap-tap of fingers on a keyboard that she was at her desk. Three years of being in close touch with this woman had him memorizing every sound she made and cataloging it to what she was doing.

Discipline and habit over the years had him doing the same with every person he met, but with Annie, he found himself almost fixated and obsessed with how she sounded. Especially now that they were dating.

He always smiled when applying that word to their situation. But it was the publicly accepted one and what they both were comfortable with telling everyone. Others imagined their nights out at the bar had morphed into dinner and going to the movies or a concert.

But they'd done that before, while they were still friends. No, he and Annie were beyond what anyone could imagine, and he treasured every moment they lay in his bed, tangled in sheets and each other.

Her answering voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Sure, what do you need?"

In his reverie, he hadn't noticed she'd stopped typing and walked up to him. Normally he'd mentally head-slap himself for such a lapse in awareness, but he'd never doubted Annie's intentions in the past. In fact, she could sneak up on him any time he wanted.

Her hand slid up his arm, and he followed her into the room. Right, work, he thought. "Mind doing a bit of light translating? My French is a bit rusty."

"Seriously?" she asked with a laugh. "Sure you don't want to just enjoy my company for a few minutes?"

"It's a perk," he said, smirking.

"Mm-hmm."

She pulled up a chair beside him, and he scooted over to give her access to his screen. Not that much, though. Though they spent nearly every minute away from the office in each other's company, her frequent missions overseas and long work hours had him pining for a 9-5 job and a normal life.

He remained quiet and waited for the normal sounds he craved from her. Hose-clad legs sliding together, long hair sliding against her shoulders. But when she began to speak, he froze.

His foreign language knowledge hit upon a few other than English, but French had always remained beyond him. That is, until he heard it coming from the lips of the woman beside him. He assumed the words themselves didn't mean much, 'cause the context the few paragraphs were in dealt with the current political situation in Cuba.

It was the way she said them. Her French accent was impeccable, soft, effortless, and completely intoxicating. When she stopped speaking them and began telling him the translation in English, he had to stop himself from begging her to keep it up, keep talking.

"Auggie? Did you get that, or do you need me to input it for you?"

"Oh, um, yeah, okay," he said, blinking several times and smiling in a way he hoped wasn't crazy.

Her fingers were then typing, and he took the few moments for her to do so to gather himself back together. Damn, he thought. What was that? Surely, he'd heard her speak in other languages before. With her voice in his ear during nearly ever mission, he must have heard her speak French.

Then, the answer came to him. He hadn't heard her speak it in the past few weeks. Not now while they were "dating." Now everything she did had his senses heightened and memorizing every detail.

"Okay, all done," she said with a final few pecks at the keyboard. "Anything else?"

Auggie's heightened emotional and sexual senses had several ideas, but he pushed them to the back of his mind for later. "Not right now, but maybe we could go over this translation later? At my place?"

"Why would we need to –"

Auggie did nothing but raise an eyebrow to her question, and her questioning halted.

"Oh. Ohh! So, mon ami, you liked it when I talked like that?"

"Maybe you can teach me some?" he asked.

"I think that can be arranged," she whispered, and with a brush of her hand against his arm, he heard her walk away.

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**Please review.**


	2. Cedilla

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter 2: Cedilla**

"I'm sorry, Auggie. I just don't see how you can say learning Braille is more difficult than learning an entirely new language."

They'd been having this conversation all day. It'd started with Auggie replying to Annie's frustration with a translation by saying that "You should try to learn how to read Braille."

It went back and forth, on and off, until now. After saying her final pronouncement, she dropped beside him on his sofa. His head swung towards her with that look that said he couldn't believe she was bringing it up again.

She assuaged his annoyance with a bottle to his hand, which he accepted.

"I could go on with this argument for quite a while, sweetheart, but why don't you just do it and figure it out yourself?" he asked, tapping his bottle against hers.

They both took a swig of their beers. Annie asked, "Do what? Learn Braille?"

"Why not?" he replied. "You say it's not as difficult as learning a foreign language. You know how many? Six? Seven? Should be a cakewalk."

Annie scoffed at the suggestion, but then the familiar niggle at her linguist tendencies caused her to think about it more. "Hmm. It would look pretty good on my résumé."

"Now you're talking," Auggie said. "And we could pass secret notes to each other at work."

Annie giggled at this, but nodded. "Okay. Would you be the one teaching me?"

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Two months later, Annie was almost close to begging Joan for a mission to take her out of country. Auggie had dug out his old "Beginner's Braille" books and workbooks for her to use and insisted upon her wearing a blindfold while doing so. She'd been thinking about cheating, but she couldn't. He threw down the gauntlet, challenged her, and she couldn't bear telling him he was right.

Language was her strength. It was what she did, what she planned on doing long after her operative days were over. Auggie had so many talents and excelled at nearly everything he put himself toward. She just wanted this win, just this once.

She was at his place, on the couch with legs crossed and a sheet of thick paper filled with Braille type on her lap. She had her eyes closed – refusing the blindfold – and slid her fingers across the raised dots once more. It sort of reminded her of phrase books with their inane questions. And it seemed Auggie was playing with her, considering the sentences he'd provided for her to translate.

"You've got to say them out loud, Annie," Auggie prompted from the kitchen.

She groaned, then placed her fingers back at the beginning of the sentence.

"A lantern shines brightest in the dark," she stated slowly. Too slow for her own liking, but hey, she was doing it.

"Very good," Auggie praised. "Sure you haven't been cheating?"

Annie refused to answer him simply because she didn't want to lie and say no, of course not. The truth was, ever since she met Auggie over three years ago, she'd been fascinated by him and all that he was. Admitting to him now that she'd learned the Braille alphabet and several words since then would be telling.

She simply went on to the next sentence.

"Some people think it means waiter in French, but gar—" Annie's fingers froze as she stumbled over the next grouping of Braille letters. "Gar— Auggie, I think you misspelled something here."

"I misspelled nothing, Annie. You're talking to the spelling bee champ of my junior high school."

She rolled his eyes at him, but ran her fingers over the letters again, sounding them out to him to prove her point. "G-A-R-C-C-E-D-I-L-L-A-O-N. What in the world is a garccedillaon? I assume you're trying to say garçon, but got your translation mixed up. What have I told you about using Babelfish?" she teased.

The pan he was cooking their food in clanged onto the countertop as he moved it from the stove, and she looked over at him, expecting to find him confused and chagrined. But he was smiling and on the verge of laughing.

"Say the letters again," he said.

Annie sighed, then repeated, "G-A-R-C-C-E-D-I-L-L-A-O-N."

He let his laughter bubble up then as he joined her on the couch. "Annie, Annie, and here you are, the world-class linguist."

She could only be laughed at for so long, so Annie gave a half-serious slug to his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"You've never heard of a cedilla?"

"Okay, now you've lost me," Annie said.

"The sentence is 'Some people think it means waiter in French, but garçon translates to boy,'" he explained. "The 'c' in that word has a diacritical mark of a cedilla on it. With more advanced Braille, the letter can be contracted or substituted. But beginner's Braille, what you're learning, has the accent listed after the letter itself, which is called uncontracted Braille."

"Oh."

"Yep. So, still think Braille is easier to learn than a foreign language?" he asked, leaning back and laying an arm across the sofa.

"Umm," Annie answered, still not wanting to admit defeat. She felt embarrassed at her ignorance of what he called a cedilla, but really, who knew that? She majored in Linguistics, not English. And as far as she knew, that little curlicue at the bottom of Cs in some words was just that, a comma or something.

"Annie, come on," he said, sliding his arm down 'til she was in his embrace. "You know how difficult some languages are. Especially ones that don't use the Roman alphabet."

"I know," she said, accepting his embrace and tucking her head into his shoulder.

"This little wager of ours was kind of silly at first, but I kind of like how we can communicate more now. Kind of makes me feel more connected to you, somehow."

His words warmed Annie, 'cause she was thinking pretty much the same thing. But the competitive side of her still was irritated. "Guess this means you win the bet, huh?"

"Not even. It took me a full year to get to where you are now. I guess you are as good as you said you were."

"Well…"

His other hand came around and cupped her chin, lifting it until they were face-to-face. "Well what?" he asked.

She could never resist that tone of his voice, and given how close they were at the moment, she couldn't remember exactly why she didn't want to tell him before. "I've been studying Braille, on and off, ever since I met you," she admitted softly.

The confession took a few seconds to sink in, then his eyes softened, and he smiled, wide and beautiful. "I knew there was something I liked about you, Annie Walker."

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**A/N Before everyone who actually knows Braille reviews with "what the hell!" let me explain. I do not know Braille. I had the challenge of using cedilla as a basis for a story and could think of nothing else. I researched extensively with how a cedilla would look in Braille and got SEVERAL answers. One said the mark would be spelled out after the letter. One said the word would be contracted. One said there's a special Braille letter for ç in and of itself. Yikes! But I thought that perhaps the spelled out version, which Annie sees here, is the beginner's version and went with that. **

**So, with all that explanation out of the way, what do you think? All of your lovely reviews and favorites and follows make my day.**

**Please review! Want to wake up to a full inbox so I can go off to work with a smile on my face. :)**


	3. Circumflex

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter 3: Circumflex**

Annie had come upon him one late night in the CIA gym when she figured it'd be devoid of anyone. Lack of actual office hours for her meant workouts whenever she could fit them in, even if it was just getting in some treadmill work. If anything, her job required her to run more often than fight.

But her steps across the floor to the bank of treadmills faltered to a stop as movement to her right where a floor full of mats covered one corner. It was used mainly for fighting practice and grappling, but only one person occupied the space now.

He obviously assumed he was alone. His movements spoke of some type of exercise, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. At first, it looked to be Tai Chi, but then he'd morph into spinning jumps and isometrics that spoke to some sort of martial art.

She had to clap her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp when, out of nowhere, he suddenly dropped into a split she'd only seen in a Jean Claude Van Damme movie.

And as he remained in this split, his arms began moving around into poses. So intent on watching the muscles of his body manipulate and flex, she hadn't noticed he was speaking softly to himself. At the distance she was away from him, though, she couldn't make out the words, so she soundlessly crept forward.

"Stretch. Tighten. Bend. Extend. Circumflex."

He punctuated each word with moving his body here and there. Annie knew it was rude to just stare without making her presence known, but she was completely drawn into the scene playing out in front of her. In all the time she'd known Auggie Anderson – the years as friends and now as lovers – he'd never hinted at this type of workout he'd obviously been doing for years, given the fluidity of his movements.

She should be upset that he'd keep something from her, but she was seeing it now. And, if anything, it made her fall just that much more in love with him. No, they'd never said the words to each other yet, but Annie'd known it for years now. Previous relationships made her hesitant to voice them ever again.

But with Auggie, she thought, there'd be several times when she'd been close. She'd never had such an attentive lover. Between the sheets. On his bed or hers. Their friendship prior to that night when he'd came to her had always been tactile, but she knew now it was only a prelude, a teaching course, if you would. Before, a brush against a hand meant, "I'm here." Now, it felt like a caress, a promise for something more.

And, considering what Annie was seeing before her now, she had a feeling that a change was imminent on the horizon, and she was standing at the precipice.

"Stretch. Tighten. Bend. Extend. Circumflex."

His movements were slowing now, and his breathing louder, as if he were cooling down, and Annie wondered whether or not she should leave and allow him this moment in time. Given the supposed secrecy in which he performed his ritual, and because he'd never told her of it, she knew it was extremely personal and began to back up towards the door.

She was nearly there. Almost to the point where she could file what she'd seen away in her brain and allow him his peace was when she heard his voice.

"You're welcome to join me."

She froze. Well, not literally. Her body shook minutely. It was a mixture of the tone of his voice, the timbre, and the knowledge that she'd been caught that made her react like that. She almost – for a split second – wanted to just fool him into thinking he just thought she was there. But no. No, she couldn't, wouldn't do that.

"I didn't want to disturb you," Annie whispered, though the emptiness and silence of the room caused her words to be louder than she meant.

"I knew you were here from the moment you stepped inside," he replied.

She turned then, knowing there was no way out. He'd stepped off the mats by now and stood on the tiled floor. His face showed that he was amused, but also wondering. Annie knew that look. Their trust in one another was so ingrained in her that she knew she had to explain her actions in words.

"You looked so in tune with what you were doing. I didn't want to interrupt, and then –"

She ran out of words, literally, which in any other context would be humorous considering her career as a linguist.

"And then –" he prompted.

"You –" Annie began, and then forcefully swallowing, "You looked so beautiful there, so serene. I didn't want to stop you or interrupt."

His head dipped at her words, and he continued walking across the floor until he was within mere feet of her. Annie had long since given up her wonderment at his unerring knowledge of where she was at any given point in time. She simply stayed where she was and enjoyed the view of his shirtless body coming closer to view.

"Not sure, but I don't think I've ever heard of anyone refer to me as beautiful before," he said, with a smile.

In the past, Annie would have smiled or giggled at his joke, but she knew Auggie Anderson now. Knew him better than anyone else on earth knew him. She could hear the vulnerability in his voice, as well as see the hope and longing and in his face.

With anyone else, he would have expected a laugh, she knew, but over the past months, she'd moved beyond the well-rehearsed joke/giggle response. His jibes, she'd grown to find out, were a self-defense mechanism that'd been honed from his normal jokester demeanor. It was to cover the other's uncomfortable feeling with dealing with a blind guy.

And, since she she'd come to this realization, Annie felt it her duty to prove to the proud and courageous man standing in front of her that he was worth it.

"You think I'd lie to you?" she asked, closing the space between them so that only a few inches separated them. His hands immediately sought her out and spread across her waist, pulling her to him.

"No, never," he replied. "Tell me what you're thinking."

His eyes, as unfocused as they were, drilled directly into hers. "Why have you never shown me that part of yourself before?" she asked.

"Selfishness," he replied. "Though, given how I felt when I realized you were watching me, I wish I'd told you ever since I met you."

Annie smiled, then laughed lightly. "Then it wouldn't have taken three years for you to ask me out."

"Oh, really?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. I probably would have jumped you that first night when we went to Allen's. Do you remember?"

His hands had since spanned and spread across her tank top, each of his fingers aligning themselves with her ribs. "Vaguely. I do remember you running away, giving excuse of your sister's dinner party."

"It wasn't an excuse. And as I remember…"

"Shh," he said, raising a hand to press a finger across her lips. "The past is just that. To be remembered, not brought up to affect the present."

And just like that, Annie fell one more step in love with the wavy-haired man standing in front of her. She filed away this moment to remember later of how far and long her depth of feeling for Auggie Anderson went.

"You're right, of course," she whispered. "If you're done here, can I give you a ride home?"

"Yeah, but didn't you come in to work out? Or were you just intent on ogling me?"

Annie laughed. "I did, but I doubt if listening to me run on a treadmill is your idea of entertainment or passing the time."

"Let's go home, Annie."

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**Please review! Love hearing from everyone, every time, every chapter!**


	4. Curve

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter 4: Curve**

He sat on the edge of her bed, dressed to go to dinner while he waited for Annie. They'd come here straight from work. Over the past few months, some of his wardrobe had made it into her closet, and hers into his. He'd already had dress slacks on, so he'd just slipped on a new shirt and tie and jacket.

Annie, on the other hand, seemed to be having trouble finding something to wear. He could hear her rifling through hangers and drawers. She'd tried on a few things, and when he thought she'd finished, he stood, only to sit back down when the sounds of clothes hitting the floor and her grunting emanated out of her walk-in closet.

This happened twice before his curiosity got the best of him. "Can I give you a hand?" he asked.

"Not unless you've got some magical power to make me look better in my clothes, no."

That surprised him. Auggie knew Annie's body. From before they'd gotten together, but even more intimately in the past months. Was she complaining that she'd gained or lost weight? He was sure he would have noticed.

Nevertheless, he stood and walked over to her walk-in closet. His feet hit a few errant pieces of clothes, and he automatically bent to pick them up. "What's the matter, Annie?"

She took the clothes out of his hands, and he took the moment she was next to him to grab her arm and pull her into his embrace.

"Auggie, come on, I have to find something to wear."

And there it was, again, in her words, a straining tone. "I can tell something's wrong, Annie. Talk to me."

Her head dropped onto his chest, and he could hear and feel the lengthy sigh that came out of her. Normally he'd have something to say about her lack of dress – she was currently clad only in a bra and panties – but he could tell something wasn't quite right with her, and he wondered if she'd rather stay home and eat.

"You'll make fun of me," she said into his chest.

"Only if it's warranted," he quipped back.

"Promise you won't?"

Auggie smiled. "Of course. I'm here for you, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I don't like the way I look in my clothes anymore."

"You'd look beautiful if you were wearing a potato sack."

"Dutifully said as a good boyfriend, but you're wrong."

"How so?" he asked, gliding his hands up and down her bare arms. Her hands lay along the lapels of his jacket, and he heard her sigh again before talking.

"All this running after bad guys nonstop and working out to make sure I can catch the bad guys, plus not eating right 'cause I'm on a plane all the time. I've lost some weight and am all bone and muscle right now. My dress clothes are hanging on me now."

He'd never heard her sound so self-conscious before, and it broke his heart just a tiny bit. "You feel perfect to me," he said. To punctuate his point, he slid his hands up to her shoulders and over her collarbone to rest on either side of her neck.

"It's nice of you to say that, Auggie, but there's no reason to lie. I'm sure you can feel how much my body's changed over the years."

He shook his head. She really didn't get it. "Where's your full-length mirror?"

"Right behind you. Why do you ask?"

Auggie didn't answer, but simply turned them and then her until she was facing it with him behind her. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders.

"I already know what I look like, Auggie," she started to protest.

"Shh. I just want you to see yourself as I see you." Starting with her face, his hands skimmed over her cheeks and jawline. "Your face is strong, but utterly feminine, especially when you smile."

His fingers skimmed down the line of her neck. "Graceful."

Then down her shoulders and arms. "Your skin is exquisitely soft."

When he reached her wrists, his hands slid inwards to span her waistline. "Delicate and smooth."

As his fingers and palms slid across her abdomen and up to her bra, he could feel her shudder, but he wasn't finished yet. "Despite the lace and wire, I know this is all you," he said as his fingertips graced the underside of her breasts. She was near vibrating, but he held back his own desire and wants right now. This was all for Annie.

Following the line of her bra around to the back, his hands slid up to her shoulders and down her spine. "Elegant lines, from head to toe."

From there, his hands skimmed down her round buttocks and around her hips, where they rested. "There is not an inch of your body that is not full of curves and delicate lines. All the hard work you've done over the past few years has done nothing to change that."

He would have continued with the rest of her body, but he knew they would never make it out of the apartment if he continued. Annie had the most phenomenal, gorgeous legs he'd ever seen on a woman.

He heard her sniff, and then she turned in his arms. "Thank you, Auggie," she whispered before kissing him softly on the lips.

"No need for thanks," he replied. "I only spoke the truth."

She kissed him again before stepping back. He heard fabric rustling and felt a slight rush of disappointment that she'd soon be covered in fabric again. He swallowed it down, though. This little interlude was all about her, and he'd be able to satisfy his urges later that night.

She stepped back into his embrace again and lifted his hands back to her hips. "Blue silk tank sheath," she said. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful," Auggie said, his hands sliding up her sides. "Though I did prefer what was there before."

"I bet you did," she said with a laugh. "Now all I have to do is find my shoes. Oh, there they are."

"The blue suede Manolos?" Auggie guessed.

"Of course."

She took his hand in his and began to pull him out of the room. "I hope you realize that I plan on returning the favor of that hands-on appraisal when we get home, right?"

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**A/N You guys blew me away with the love I got from the last chapter. Guess the mental image of Auggie working out fanned a few flames, huh? What do you think of this one? Who wouldn't want a physical appraisal of their own? **

**This chapter almost wrote itself with the "curve" chapter title. Much easier than "cedilla," I'll tell you that.**

**Please review! Loving hearing from each and every one of you! **


	5. Dot

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter Five****: Dot**

Annie blamed Auggie entirely. After all, they were in his apartment, which was slowly becoming their apartment, considering how much time she spent there. But that was beyond the point right now. At the moment, they were ripping the blankets off themselves and arguing as to who gets the shower first.

She won after the short argument which consisted of her kissing him senseless. He said he'd make the coffee while she got ready. Had they more time, which they normally had in the morning, it would have been one shared shower, but considering the alarm was never set last night, they woke up late, and time was of the essence.

But, Annie thought as she soaped and rinsed her body, last night made up for the rush and lack of private time this morning. Since she met Auggie Anderson, she'd indulged in what it would be like to be with him. His exploits were gossiped about around the office, but the real thing had nothing on the stories.

In fact, she now knew that some of them were blatantly lying about spending the night with him because, as a part of their new closeness, they'd been open with each other about their partners and relationships. And what she found was that Auggie wasn't nearly the lothario that his reputation stated him to be.

"Hey, are you about done, or do you need help washing your back?"

"Oh, yes, hold on," Annie said, shutting the water off. "All yours."

"Coffee's on the counter," he said, pulling her still damp body against his naked one.

"Not fair," Annie murmured against his lips as he kissed her.

"I know."

She was still slightly shaky from that few moments of sexual bliss as she slid on her dress, then slid her feet in the heels. Coffee would have to be enjoyed through travel cups this morning instead of mugs over the counter with toast. Maybe she could talk Auggie into springing for croissants on the way in.

She snapped the cups on the lids and looked around for her purse. They'd gotten in late last night and weren't all that sober, so remembering where she'd dropped it took some searching.

"Ah-ha!" she proclaimed, grabbing it up where it lay behind the sofa. Keys, ID, wallet. Good to go, she thought.

Auggie stepped out then, and she turned to ask if he was ready to go, but the words died on her lips. He'd picked his normal dress shoes, dark denim jeans and impeccably cut jacket. He had slung a tie around his neck and was currently tying it.

That wasn't what she was staring at, though, nor what had her gaping like a fish. "Auggie?" she was finally able to squeak out.

"You got our coffee ready?" he asked, sliding a perfect Windsor knot up to his neck.

"Yeah, but Auggie?" she said, taking a few steps towards him.

"Hey, I was thinking we could grab some croissants on the way in, what do you think?"

She finally got his attention by covering his hand that held his travel mug. "Auggie, wait."

"What? I thought you didn't want to be late, though I'm all for a quickie, if –"

He pulled her next to him with his free arm, and Annie got a better, close-up view of what had held her gaze since he stepped out of the bathroom. "No, Auggie, that's not it. It's your shirt."

"Oh," he said, his face showing a slight flush of disappointment. "What's wrong with it? I just got it back from the cleaners. Don't tell me there's a spot on it."

"Umm, no," Annie said. "It's just – maybe the cleaners got their orders mixed up or something?"

"Not following you here, Annie. What's wrong with my shirt?"

"Well, for one, it's lavender, and it's covered in yellow polka dots."

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and Annie bit her lip hard to keep from laughing. She knew how much pride Auggie took in his clothes, and making sure everything was tagged properly and hanging just so in his closet to make for quick changes.

"Please tell me you're joking," he finally said with half a smile.

"No, I'm not."

He let go of her quickly and nearly tipped over the travel mug as he sat it back on the counter. "Come with me," he said, nearly running back through the bedroom to his walk-in closet.

"If anything, at least the tie you chose didn't clash with it," Annie offered.

"The tie I chose was supposed to go with a crisp white, long-sleeved dress shirt," he said. "Please find it for me."

She could tell he was nearly angry, so she set about setting his mind at ease. "From what I can see here, everything else is perfect, Auggie," she said, quickly and methodically running her hands over every shirt. The Braille tag on the hangers clinked with the effort. "Here, take this one, and tonight, we can go through everything and make sure the tags match the garments, okay?"

He'd pulled off his tie, jacket and the offending shirt and accepted the dress shirt she handed him. He also grabbed her hand with it and pulled her against his sculpted, muscled chest.

"Auggie, we've really got to get going," Annie said, cursing the alarm clock inwardly once again.

"No, I know. I just wanted to thank you for being here for me."

"What are you talking about?"

His head tilted to the side. "Just imagine the reception I'd get if I'd walked into the DPD with that shirt on."

"Well, once you put it that way," she said with a laugh. "I promise to keep your secret love of yellow polka dots to myself."

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**A/N I had a whole other idea for "Dot" that entailed that GPS marker green dot that Auggie gave Annie at the end of Season One, but I'd written a story about that already. Don't remember which one it was. So, spent a few days brainstorming about doing something different. This is kind of silly, but it was fun to write. Can't wait to get to tilde. Got a personal story about that diacritical remark that I'll include in the one-shot.**

**So, what do you think? Please review! I know I say this every time I post a new chapter or story, but I truly love hearing from everyone. Reviews are the ultimate "yay!," while favorites always make me smile and say a soft "thank you." Of course, the "favorite author" and "follow author" are kind of the ultimate in kudos for a writer.**


	6. Ring

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter Six: Ring**

**As other chapters are set a few months after ending of Season 3, with Annie and Auggie just getting together, let's jump ahead for this story, say a year.**

* * *

Auggie Anderson should have known it wouldn't have been easy to do something without Annie Walker getting suspicious.

The woman's intelligence was one of the qualities about her that drew him into her life, but it'd be the death of him, he was sure. Her curiosity and intuitiveness made her a good operative and a great friend. They also made it impossible for him to surprise her or plan anything in advance without her knowing about it.

And what he was planning now was the utmost of secrets. Finally, he'd settled for waiting until she was out of country to catch a cab downtown. He hadn't wanted to do it this way, because he preferred to be close to the office whenever she's on a mission, but there was no way around it.

It was only the second time Auggie Anderson had bought an engagement ring in his life, and he hoped and prayed that it'd be the last. It'd taken him a long time to get over the first incident, and he'd be damned if he went through that pain again.

He doubted that'd happen, though. Though predicated by Annie's near-death experience and several other factors, their relationship almost seemed organic, from its beginning as friends to now, living under one roof, completely infatuated and in love with one another, and totally committed.

Asking her to take the final step and become his wife seemed like the next, logical step, he thought. Every decision up until now was simple and easy. They'd hardly taken any effort.

So, why, he thought, as he stood in front of the door to the jewelry store, was he hesitating upon entering?

Probably, he thought, because there was always the slightest chance that she would say no. He closed his eyes and sighed. No. He was sure she felt the same. He knew it, and she always made sure he knew it, as well. They belonged together, and this was only the natural progression of their saga that, up until now, had been perfect.

With that thought in mind, a smile graced his face, and he reached for the shop's door handle.

* * *

"You do realize how silly this is," Annie laughed. She'd gotten back earlier today, and after hours in office debriefing and paperwork, both she and Auggie were released for the day. He looked happy – even more so than he usually is when she comes back to him, safe and sound.

Her suspicions were raised when they'd gotten back to their apartment, and he came up behind her. His hands covered her eyes, and together, they shuffled into the room.

"Keep them closed," he said.

"They are, Auggie. I just hope we don't trip over anything."

"I've got this apartment memorized down to where every piece of silverware is. Now, keep walking."

Auggie's eidetic memory of the layout of his apartment – now theirs since she moved in a few months ago – might help him, but Annie didn't have such a talent. She allowed herself to be led by him, both hands on his forearm.

By the number of steps they'd taken, she figured they were in the bedroom area when he pulled her to a stop.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now," he said, his voice full of excitement.

Annie blinked her eyes open and what came into view made her gasp, then smile. A new dresser – identical to his sitting right beside it – stood, gleaming, and already adorned with a few of her possessions.

"Auggie, it's beautiful, thank you," she said, turning his arms to kiss her thanks and wrap her arms around his neck. "Did you do this when I was gone?"

"Yep," he said. "I take it you like my surprise? I was convinced you knew."

"Of course I didn't know."

"Why don't you get working on transferring your stuff over?" he asked.

"You want me to do it now? Auggie, I'm tired and hungry," she whined.

He held her hands between them. "Food is on the way, and once you get settled in, we'll have all weekend to rest and relax, and, you know, whatever else we can come up with."

He said that last part with a gleam in his eyes, and Annie shivered with anticipation. She had a sudden urge to just chuck her growling stomach and full suitcase and tackle him onto the bed, not getting back out of it until Monday morning, but he was right.

She loved being able to unpack after a mission and feel settled for however long she had. "You're right. Of course."

"I know," he said, releasing her hands and taking a step back.

The want to get this chore done and move onto the other events Auggie proposed for the night, Annie hurriedly moved over to their shared dresser and opened the top drawer. He'd insisted on them sharing everything, which meant his clothes were on the right, while hers were on the left.

She grabbed up an armful of underwear and bras and stepped over to "her" dresser, opening the top drawer. She was about to dump the armload in when she saw something was already in there.

Grabbing it out, she dropped the underwear in. Her first thought was that the delivery man had left some packing material in, but when she pulled the box out of the dark depths of the drawer into the light, she gasped.

It was a square box, a few inches across, and covered in dark blue velvet. "Auggie, what's this?" she asked.

She turned to him with a questioning glance, only to see him no longer standing behind her, but down on his knee.

"Open it," he whispered.

She could barely do so, as her mind simultaneously began to race and go blank at the same time. Her fingers knew what to do, though, as one hand held the box while the other flipped open the lid.

There, nestled in more velvet was a golden swirl of metal that could only mean one thing. "Oh, my God."

Auggie's hands cupped hers, and he deftly plucked the ring out of the box and took her left hand in his.

"Annie, I love you and can't imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?"

As he spoke, he slid the gold circle onto her ring finger. Annie was so struck by the suddenness of the proposal and depth of emotion she saw on his face, that she tried to speak, tried to answer him with the resounding yes that her heart was screaming, but nothing would come out.

All she could do was stare at the ring as it sat on her finger. The gleaming yellow gold circlet was nothing she'd seen before. Instead of a traditional diamond winking up at her, the gold from the ring itself was twisted up into a sculpture of some sort. She lifted her hand to see it more clearly and gasped. The sculpture was a beautiful rendering of the gold into a swirl of two scripted As.

"Auggie," she whispered.

"So, is that a –"

The rest of his question was squelched as Annie launched herself into his arms, her lips smashing into his. She dropped onto her knees, as well, and poured everything she was feeling and couldn't quite express verbally into the kiss.

His arms held her to him, and after a few minutes, they broke apart, breathless, their foreheads resting against each other.

"—yes?" Auggie finished.

Annie giggled and nodded her head against his. "Yes. Of course, yes," she breathed. "I love you."

"Do you like the ring?"

"It's perfect. How long have you been planning this?"

"A month or two. Were you actually surprised? I was sure you knew something."

"No, I had no idea," she said, raising her now be-ringed left hand to rest against his cheek. "You really want to do this, spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Of course. We're as intertwined as those As on your ring. I don't think I could be without you now if I tried."

Annie smiled and felt a prick of tears come to her eyes. "I wish we could stay here like this forever."

His arms pulled her tighter, and he kissed her softly. "Same here, but I'm sure they'd find us eventually."

"Well, we do have the weekend," she said. His smile was all the answer she needed.

* * *

**A/N Well, what else did you expect with a chapter title of "Ring"? lol Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Please review! **


	7. Tilde

**Diacritical (Re)Marks**

**Accent é Cedilla ç Circumflex ê Curve ă Dot ċ Ring å Tilde ñ Umlaut ä**

**Chapter Seven: Tilde**

Annie dove into the warmth of her and Auggie's apartment. Winters in the Northeast usually didn't get this frigid until January and February, but it hadn't gotten above freezing since Christmas. When she stopped shivering, she peeled her winter coat off and hung it up, as well as taking off her boots and setting them aside.

She'd hoped to come home with Auggie, but, as per usual, even on a holiday, the CIA works. So, here she was, home at 6pm on New Year's Eve, and alone. He'd promised to be there by midnight to celebrate with her. She just hoped he wouldn't have to stay all night. Their first Christmas together was magical, and she hoped to be able to actually kiss someone she loved when the clock struck midnight.

The warmth of the apartment had permeated her skin, so she moved on into the bedroom to change clothes. Her steps stuttered as she saw a gift bag sitting in the middle of the bed.

"Oh, Auggie," she whispered.

She jumped onto the bed and grabbed up the small bag. Inside, she found a typewritten note with his signature at the bottom and a small envelope. She decided to read the note first and bit back a laugh when she noticed that it was in Spanish. He'd been surprising her with notes and e-mails in various languages for months now, and she thrilled with each and every one.

"A los principios de un hermoso ano nuevo. Compruebe el congelador por una pinta de su favorito Ben y Jerry's."

She smiled at the sentiment, especially the mention of her favorite ice cream. She slid open the envelope to find a generous gift card to Victoria's Secret. "Okay," she said with a laugh. "Gonna have to ask him how he was able to procure that all by himself."

The gift, however, made her realize that she hadn't gotten him anything for New Year's. They'd exchanged presents for Christmas, of course, but nothing had been mentioned about New Year's Day presents. Unless he counted the Victoria's Secret gift card as a present more for him than for her.

She hurriedly changed her clothes into something more comfortable, grabbed up the note, envelope, and gift card, and hurried to the kitchen to retrieve the other part of her present.

Ice cream in winter, she thought. Well, at least she'd have something later that'd warm her up.

A healthy bowl of Chunky Monkey in her lap, she pulled out the letter to read again. When she'd gotten halfway through it, she gasped…and prompted choked on a bit of walnut.

She had to cough several times and get a drink to completely clear her palate. She'd finally gotten her breathing under control when Auggie walked through the door.

"Honey, I'm home," he said with a smile.

"Auggie."

He faltered at her tone, but continued to remove his coat and boots. "Is there something wrong? I know we wanted to come home together, but it's not midnight yet, and we're off tomorrow."

"No, it's not midnight yet," Annie said. "I got the present you left on the bed."

"I thought you'd like that," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "Mm, and I see you've already started on the ice cream. Care to share, or do I have to get my own spoon?"

"I'm not sure, Auggie. Actually, I assumed you wanted me to eat the whole thing, or at least assumed that I would."

"I'm not following," he said, following her over to the couch and sitting down.

"You got me ice cream and a gift card to buy new underwear."

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"O-o-o-kay. Never knew you to be a chubby chaser, Auggie, but in my line of work, I need to keep in shape."

The smile he had on his face – no doubt caused by imagining her in new lingerie – slid off. "Again, I feel like this conversation has slipped off the tracks."

"The note you left, Auggie. You did write it, correct?"

"What about it? Would you prefer French? Or Portuguese? Some type of a romance language?"

Annie shook her head and picked the note back up and read it to him. "A los principios de un hermoso ano nuevo. Compruebe el congelador por una pinta de su favorito Ben y Jerry's."

"Mm, maybe I should have gone with some poetry, but I think wishing you a beautiful new year and hoping you like the gifts was simple and to the point," Auggie said.

"Excuse me? Did you say a beautiful new year?" Annie asked.

"Yes. Hermoso año nuevo, my love," he said, leaning towards her. Annie knew he'd wanted a kiss, but she couldn't resist stringing him further along.

"Uh-uh," she said, placing a finger on his puckered lips.

He grunted his dissatisfaction. "What is it this time? Is my accent not up to your standards?" he asked with a laugh.

"Your accent is perfect. Your knowledge of Spanish diacritical marks leaves something to be desired, however."

His forehead puckered and his lips twisted in confusion, and so she decided to let him off the hook. "Hermoso ano nuevo, my sweet, dear August, translates, quite literally, to 'beautiful new anus.'"

He gasped and jerked back. "What? No, no. I double-checked it, completely."

"You forgot the tilde over the 'n,'" she said. "Ano is anus. Año is year."

She could see him working it over in his mind, and, probably, going over what he'd written in the note as she had, in context. When the entirety of what he'd written and what he'd included as presents came to him, Annie went ahead and let out the laugh she'd been holding.

"Oh, my God," he said. "Are you telling me that instead of wishing my girlfriend a beautiful new year with her favorite lingerie and ice cream, I –"

"Told her that she hopes she enjoys her new ass with a gift certificate for new underwear and ice cream."

The war of emotions on his face slid so fast between horror and humor that Annie laughed again, so hard, that she was glad she didn't have a bite of Chunky Monkey in her mouth again.

Auggie soon joined her in her laughter. "Oh, my God," he said after catching his breath. "I can't believe I did that."

"I didn't catch it the first time I read it, so don't feel too bad."

"You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?" he asked, taking up the bowl of Chunky Monkey.

"Well, if you're going to hand feed me ice cream for the rest of my life, I could think about forgetting this small mistake."

He smiled and slid a heaping spoonful into her mouth. "What kind of a screwed up language is Spanish, anyway?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you don't cross a 't' in English, you don't run the risk of insulting the person you love, now, do you?"

"Very true, Auggie. Very true."

* * *

**A/N**

**This is a VERY true story from my life. My work is, generally speaking, transcription. Can't go into details. Anyhoo, while attempting to transcribe "Feliz Navidad," I had trouble creating the tilde over the "n." Just to double-check my Spanish, I asked a bilingual co-worker about it. Could I just write the lyrics w/o the "n" over ano? The look on her face when she told me what año meant w/o the tilde made me SO embarrassed. From then on, I kept to writing [ singing in Spanish ] instead of even attempting to transcribe other languages.**

**When the idea for this story series came up, I couldn't resist using that story for the tilde chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Please review.**

**BTW, "A los principios de un hermoso año nuevo. Compruebe el congelador por una pinta de su favorito Ben y Jerry's" translates to "To the beginning of a beautiful new year. Check the freezer for a pint of your favorite Ben and Jerry's."**

**PS - yes, I did watch the season premiere. :)**


	8. Umlaut

"Annie, what's that punctuation sign thingy that goes above a U? Those two little dots?"

"Umlaut."

* * *

She'd answered the question quickly, as he'd interrupted her own research work for an upcoming mission, but it never left her conscience. For one, why did he need to know what an umlaut was? And second, his calling a diacritical mark a "punctuation sign thingy."

It scraped at her linguistic tendencies, and she wondered if he did it on purpose, just to mess with her. She'd been teaching him over the months of their relationship different languages. It'd been her idea, given how much he'd taught her over the years. He'd balked at the notion of payback, but she'd insisted.

He wasn't bad at it, but translating some languages to Braille was making them both work all the harder. Which brought her to why he needed to know what an umlaut was. He'd only been learning Spanish and French from her so far. Why would he need to learn German?

Normally, Annie wouldn't be distrustful of her boyfriend, the man she'd loved far earlier than that night he came to her. She'd trusted him from the get-go, when he called her out for lying to him when she said she was fine the first day they met.

And so far, that trust had yet to be broken. She knew he held secrets – everyone she associated with nowadays held them – but when it counted, when it was right, they were completely truthful with one another. At least, she thought they were.

So, why, she thought, was he now asking about a diacritical mark that was only used in German? It kept gnawing at her throughout the rest of the day. She even went as far as to research which missions were active on the chance that maybe one of them pertained to German or, perhaps, someone of German descent, but nothing of the sort was going on.

She didn't even realize how far her obsession with finding the answer to why he needed to know such information until Auggie mentioned her behavior later on that night at his apartment.

"You feeling okay?" he asked as they ate the pizza she'd picked up on the way there from work.

"Yeah," she said a bit too quickly. "I mean, yes. Sorry, just, something on my mind."

She cringed at the lame excuse, and a quick look at his face showed that he didn't buy her excuse, either. But she hoped he'd let it pass. She still hadn't figured out a way to subtly ask him why he needed to know what an umlaut was, and by now, too much time had passed. If she asked now, he'd probably think she was crazy for fixating on something so miniscule and ridiculous.

She even refused to meet his eyes and instead concentrated on the piece of pizza in her hands, methodically taking a bite, chewing and swallowing. She wasn't even conscious of his moving until his hand came into her view, covering her own.

She raised her eyes to see that he'd moved around the kitchen island to stand next to her. His hand covered hers, and she laid the pizza slice back on her plate.

"You sure nothing going on?" he asked, clasping her hand with his.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Because I know you, Walker. You've been quiet for way too long."

"Is that your way of saying I'm a blabbermouth?" she said, trying her darnedest to think of something to change the subject. Of course, his proximity offered an option, and she rested her hand against his t-shirt clad chest. Even cloth-covered, the well-sculpted muscles of his chest showed through.

Her perusal of them, however, was stopped by his other hand as it grasped her wrist. "No, you are not a blabbermouth. However, You've seen withdrawn and contemplative all day. What's going on?"

She tried to not allow the soft, deep timbre of his voice to get her, but it always did. Her fingers curled on his chest at his words, and her eyes closed. "Auggie."

"You can tell me anything, Annie. You know that. Haven't I already proved, over and over, time and time again, that you can trust me with anything?"

That did it, and an unbidden moan emanated from Annie's chest. "Yes, you have. It's one of the reasons I love you, Auggie."

"And I love you, which is why I'm always thinking about you," he said, pulling her hands to his lips and kissing her finger. "I'm always wondering what you're doing." Another finger kissed. "What you're thinking." Another finger. "And how soon it can be when I can kiss you again."

By this time, Annie's knees were near liquid, and she leaned her body up against his. "Since when have you been so romantic?" she whispered, caught up in his verbal web.

"Since I met you."

With that, he'd captured her lips in his, and all thoughts and worries Annie had prior to the kiss flew from her mind. Always one to be in charge and dominant in her sexual encounters, Annie turned to putty in Auggie's hands. His arms wrapped around her body, and she instinctively wrapped hers around his neck, pulling his mouth closer to hers.

He kissed her, deeply and soundly, for a few minutes, before pulling away.

"Auggie, what –"

"Something's still bothering you. I need to know what it is."

Annie whimpered, but then, upon realizing why she'd been so quiet, gave a soft chuckle. "You'll laugh."

"I promise not to."

"I don't believe you."

"Pinky swear?" he asked, holding up a crooked finger.

She hooked it with her own and said, "Okay. Remember earlier today when you asked me what an umlaut was?"

His embrace faltered a bit, and his faced showed one of utter confusion. "What?"

Annie sighed. "Earlier today, when I was working, you came up to me and asked what the diacritical mark that is two dots above a U was called."

"Oh, oh, yeah. What about it?"

"I – well, I just wanted to know why you wanted to know. I mean, it's only used in Germanic languages, and as far as I knew, we weren't working any cases in Germany or with Germans, so…"

"So, you wanted to know why I wanted to know?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yes," she answered.

Even with her explanation of why she'd been withdrawn all day, Auggie's look of confusion still hadn't erased, and Annie mentally berated herself. She could have just made up anything, but no, she had to tell the truth and make him think that she was probably losing her mind.

"Well, Barber had asked about it, and I didn't know, and since you're the linguistic expert in our department, I figured you would."

And with that simple explanation, Annie's day-long wonderment was cleared, but it still did nothing to erase the confusion from his face. "Oh, yeah, okay, that makes sense."

"And that's what you've been thinking about all day?"

"Well, not all day, but yeah, it was bugging me. You never said why you needed to know."

He began to smile, then laugh. "What, did you think I was doing some super-secret correspondence with some Germans?"

She knew by now that her worries were silly and somewhat absurd, and she began to laugh, as well. "I'm sorry, Auggie."

"No apology necessary. From now on, I'll explain any time I need some kind of punctuation mark verified."

"Ugh!" Annie groaned. "How many times have I got to tell you? It's not a punctuation mark. They're called diacriticals."

* * *

**THE END**

**A/N And another one in the books. Had SO much fun writing this. Thank you to the help I received on my Beth Geek Chick twitter page when I got stuck periodically. This chapter had me stuck, completely, until I just sat down and brainstormed a good bit while teaching myself knitting. no joke.**

**So, now that it's done and complete, what do you think?**

**I'd wanted to finish it to concentrate on the awesomeness that is this new season that's airing. No spoilers here, but A&A lovers, rejoice! Some great motivation for us fanfic writers.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Love you all!**


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